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Our Summer Sale Inspirations…

6 Jul 2016

Our summer sale has STARTED and to give you some style tips, we’re looking back at the best of the season and who wore what. Here are some of our favourite bloggers with the pieces they couldn’t resist, not just from our Spring Summer 16 collection but giving inspiration to some of our other sale pieces.

Fashionmumof40 (www.fashionmumof40.blogspot.co.uk ): Annemarie, wears the Elena (was £129 now £77.40) in tan with her leopard print flats and denim for relaxed chic.

Annmarie looking fab in the Tan Elena

Styled by @fashionmumof40

Elena in Petrol

It is also available in petrol and cream which is my preferred colours: I envisage wearing this on the beach in Jersey this summer with a pair of denim shorts, it’s the perfect lightweight throw on jumper. I like the Elena as a slouchy jumper so I would go up a size in this and with the mix of linen and silk it falls and hangs perfectly!

Georgie at Minis and more blog (www.minisandmore.co.uk ) wears the Ella (was £95 now £57) in the coral, dressed down with skinny jeans and trainers. It’s also the perfect top for a city break and sight seeing as Lizzie discovered in Florence and Hero (Boutique) in Stockbridge have styled it with a little denim skirt. It also available in classic breton colours: navy and white striped with flashes of aqua.

@georgie_minisandmore

Ella in Coral and Styled by @herostockbridge

Georgie is also a fan of our Bea jumper which she has had so much wear out of, pairing it with jeans, a maxi skirt, leather leggings or denim shorts. And she is not the only one, Lauren Murdoch Smith, deputy Beauty Editor at Vogue and one of our regular customers is also a fan of our Bea cotton jumper, here she is with the super cool Cara Delevingne, both have it in cream but it also comes in a gorgeous ice blue (was £120 now £48).

Lauren with Cara Delevinge

Georgie from minis & more

Muddy Stilettos
The lovely Hero from Muddy Stilettos (www.muddystilettos.co.uk) has the Bea in ice blue (was £120 now £48). She says “It’s a flattering cut, like most of their jumpers – forgiving on the belly, and the right length to skim your buttski. A good weight too. On a suddenly nippy early evening it kept me warm, but I can imagine at full cotton it’s not too chunky for the day either with denim shorts and some serious wedges”.

If you love a chunky cotton cable knit we also have our Ravello jumper in the sale, available in Khaki and Navy (was £145 now £43.50), they are a great easy summer knits.

@muddystilettos

Ravello cotton cable in khaki and navy

Now if you haven’t got one of our Emma jumpers you are missing out, the Emma is part of our basics collection, it comes in three colours and is probably the most useful top in my wardrobe. As summer hasn’t really arrived yet I’ve needed sleeves more than usual at this time of the year and this goes with pretty much anything. The great thing about it is that it’s lightweight so perfect for our so called summer, I often wear it with the sleeves turned up to make them ¾ length. It looks fab tucked into a full skirt, great with a chunky necklace, worn under dunagrees or with a pair of patterned summer trousers, the list goes on! All I can say is at £65.40 it is so worth it, you’ll certainly get your pound per wear!!

The Emma in pale blue is great with this Stripey Midi

The Emma in stone

The Emma, in 3 colours

Finally, who doesn’t love a Chanel style jacket? I’m always reading on blogs how useful, smart, versatile a little jacket can be, so I must highlight our Milan jacket…. it is a sale steal, it was £175 and is now only £52.50
It’s a perfect jacket for throwing on with a pair of jeans it’s a little bit more informal to a blazer & of course easier to roll up in your bag once the sun comes out. I have one, my sister has one and my mum has one and we all wear it differently, so one very versatile piece.

The Milan looking good with a breton top

Me in my Milan!

So there you have it, just a few highlights from our sale, check out the rest of reductions at www.needleboutique.com

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Behind the scenes with …….

29 Jun 2016

In the next installment in “Behind the Scenes with…” we speak to Katie Gibbs of Katie & Jo, Bellevue Road, London.

The first Katie & Jo store was opened in Parsons Green, London by two old school friends, Katie Diment and Jo Nicholson who created a contemporary women’s fashion boutique which has become known for stocking a selection of luxurious and feminine labels from all over the world. Katie Gibbs worked in that store before seeing an opportunity to expand to the other side of the river, so she teamed up with the pair to open her own Katie & Jo store on Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common, the store has gone from strength to strength recently expanding to bigger premises down the road.

The new Bellevue Road Store

Katie and Mr Pom

Katie & Jo stock all our favourite labels including Des Petits Hauts, Maison Scotch, Becksondergaard, Neon Boots, AG jeans, Alex Monroe jewellery and Mercy Delta and obviously Needle knitwear, to name a few! Not only do they have two fabulous boutiques but they have a brilliant online store as well, in case you can’t get to London.

So along with Mr Pom, Katie’s faithful assistant we asked a few questions…

Questions

1. How would you describe your style?
I don’t have a specific style as such. I like a real mix and it depends on how I’m feeling. Weekends are all about a cosy cashmere jumper and a pair of high waisted skinny jeans. I’m drawn to bright colours and fun embroidery or trims in the summer. Anything with a bohemian edge. PK Berry’s collection and Christopher Sauvat’s collections are amazing for this Spring/Summer.

2. How does your style reflect Katie & Jo the shop?
I would be happy having anything in the shop in my wardrobe! We pick everything ourselves and try everything on when buying so we can imagine how to wear it. I couldn’t sell a product that I didn’t love myself.

Katie & Mr Pom trying the PK Berry Sophia Blouse

Summer Style

Holiday essentials

3. How do you find new brands you want to work with?
We are always on the hunt for something new and unique. We do visit the buying trade shows but most of our new discoveries have been found through social media, especially Instagram.

4. How do you manage to keep up with all the social media and how essential is social media?
Social media is great for keeping our clients up-to date with new arrivals in-store and styling tips. We use Instagram all the time as it’s a fantastic visual platform. We try and post something new everyday.

5. What would your advice be to aspiring fashion retailers?
If it’s something you truly believe in and have a passion for then go for it! Make sure you do you research and know your market and customer.

6. What was your career history before Katie & Jo?
After graduating from Kingston University with a degree in fashion design I went and worked for a trend forecasting company followed by a position as an assistant designer for a London-based fashion house.
My dream though has always been to set up a boutique.

Bellevue Road image by PK Portraits Ltd

Bellevue Road image by PK Portraits Ltd

South of France

7. What is your favourite holiday destination?
It would have to be the South of France or Sardinia. I adore the amazing food, beaches, wine and of course the sunshine.

8. If you were stuck on a desert island, what food could you not live without?
I love a sweet potato!

9. Are there any exciting developments in the pipeline at Katie & Jo?
We would love to open another boutique. Watch this space!

10. How do you make Katie & Jo different to other stores out there?
We pride ourselves on offering our customers something unique and special. All our products are carefully selected and considered. We offer a very personal way of shopping. We want our customers to be able to walk into a party feeling gorgeous and knowing no one else will be in the same dress!

11. What is your beauty regime?
I’m always in a rush in the mornings so it’s just a case of throwing on some tinted moisturizer and a bit of mascara. My Grandmother always had immaculately painted red nails that I adored as a little girl so I do try and keep my nails painted with a bright colour. Also, as a treat I visit Tranquility or the Cowshed for a facial.

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Guilty Pleasures!

16 Jun 2016

Every now and again you need to switch off, put your feet up and relax. At Needle HQ one of our favourite ways is a cheeky boxset – Netflix/ Sky or just on DVD, it is such a luxury but one we love. It feels so naughty when there are usually jobs to be done at home but so addictive to settle in and watch an episode or two/ three of your favourite box set. Emma & Lizzie are both big fans of The Good Wife, whilst my current favourite is Billions.

The Good Wife is an American legal and political drama full of court trails, family life and love affairs, it’s very addictive! For anyone who hasn’t seen this series it stars Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florric, a wife and mother who boldly assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband’s very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Gaining confidence every day, Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician’s scorned wife to resilient sexy career woman.

As for my guilty pleasure at the moment; Billions, this is mainly down to the fact that it has got Damian Lewis in, I have a soft spot for gingers, I am married to one, but Lewis is also a brilliant actor, I mean who could resist him as US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody in Homeland, he was a brilliant Henry VIII in Wolf Hall and now he is hedge fund manager Bobby “Axe” Axlerod in Billions.

Billions is a fictional drama that takes an insider look at the world of high finance by tracking the approaching collision between two titanic figures – the hard charging, politically savvy U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades, (played by Paul Giamatti), and the brilliant, ambitious hedge fund king, Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Lewis). If you liked Wolf of Wall Street, you’ll love this!

The stars of The Night Manager

But if you don’t have access to Netflix or Sky, don’t worry, there have been some brilliant series on TV recently; they’re as good as going to the cinema to see a full on feature film. The one you really don’t want to miss is The Night Manager, if you haven’t seen this I would really recommend dashing out immediately to buy the box set, not only does it have a stella cast, Tom Hiddlestone, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman and Tom Hollander to name but a few, it is also filmed in fabulous locations, Majorca is the star of the show, followed by Marrakech, Zermatt and Devon. The stunning six part series follows former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) who is recruited by intelligence operative Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the inner circle of international businessman Richard Onslow Roper (Hugh Laurie) who is one evil guy! All I can say is that it’s gripping!

La Fortaleza, Roper’s Majorcan Villa. Image from Daily Mail

Cala Deia, the view from the now famous C’as Patro March Restaurant

Maricel Hotel and Spa, Majorca

Es-Saadi Resort Morocco inspired the hotel in Cairo

Chalet Hotel Schonegg, Zermatt

So with flash floods forecasted this weekend, it’s the perfect opportunity to indulge in some fab TV!